How ethical is Vicodin usage in the National Football League (NFL)?

Within multiple categories of sports, science has been applied for utilization in a wide range of fields. Specifically, American football is a sport with prevalent issues of impairments in players. In the case of the NFL, 93% of former players missed at least one game from major injuries, such as, concussions; some often playing hurt. This is to the extent of requiring settling payments for these individuals’ lasting damages or diseases (Jones, George E. Koonce and Holstein). An available option that addresses this problem is the prescription painkiller Vicodin, which remains a part of many alumni’s lives. For instance, ex-offensive lineman, Kyle Turley stated in 2011, “it’s …show more content…
It can also addictive. Since 1978, its use has grown dramatically with its specified ability to numb pain by synthetically imitating natural endorphins in the body. Most are ingested as oral tablets containing hydrocodone bitartrate and acetaminophen, creating temporary feelings of relaxation together with drowsiness (California Department of Alcohol and Drug Programs). The pain detectors located abundantly around the body are nerve cells called nociceptors that stretch from the spinal cord to other regions in the nervous system as ascertained from figure 1 …show more content…
Owing to the job security, players are consistently traded so playing through pain is overseen. Licensed team doctors often look for ways that the player can heal quickly or mask pain without proper diagnosis. Negligent in responsibilities, inadequate information about the addictive nature of the drugs were offered to athletes for self-interest. Hence, going against the players’ rights by advocating longer and higher dosages than normally recommended, such as, to anticipate pain (Barr). Thom Mayer, the Union’s medical director suggested, “do the right thing for the patient, not the right thing for the people who take care of the patient.” This proves that the unethical waivers by team physicians should be more considerate of the players’ health, not only to the club’s gain (Jenkins and Maese). Withal, the drug can be dangerous if mixed with other medications; supervision is necessary for ethics of safety to prevent additional harm. Thereby, players should be informed of treatment alternatives for an autonomous choice (Testoni, Hornik and Smith). Based on the idea of paternalism, the players are seen as subordinates of the system, as they are limited to decision-making processes (Cushman). “The big thing is, no one cares about how hurt you are,” Dave Brown, the Giant’s quarterback continued, “They just want you to play.” This manifests the competitiveness to stay on